


Dancing In The Moonlight

by vaderina



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Cute, Dancing, Dorks in Love, Fluff, M/M, Percival takes a holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 16:03:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12821064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderina/pseuds/vaderina
Summary: Percival accompanies Newt to Fiji to observe the mating habits of fire crabs.





	Dancing In The Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aliaaaaaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliaaaaaa/gifts).



> For the magnificent aliaaaaaa who sent this prompt on tumblr:  
> I want Newt and Percival at the beach in the wee hour of the morning, and they're cuddling; being wrapped with a big fleece blanket and Newt is kissing Percival all sweetly and thanking him for taking the time off from work to follow him to this remote island to study that one glowing magical fish and Percival kisses Newt back and pulls him even closer.

The MACUSA ball was in full swing, people were pleasantly buzzed and the dancefloor was heaving with couples as they followed the beat of the music from the band. At the edge of the room Newt fidgeted with his cuff, uncomfortable in the stiff shirt and bereft at the loss of Pickett for the evening to his case. Sometimes he had to wonder just which one of them had the real attachment issues.

“May I have this dance?” Percival pulled him from his reverie, one hand outstretched and ready for Newt to take.

“You sure?” Newt muttered surprised. They’d not talked about dancing in the public eye before.

“It would make my night.” Percival reassured him with a warm smile. Hesitantly Newt took the proffered hand and let himself be led to the dance floor. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to dance, the etiquette lessons his parents made him take as a child had certainly made their mark. It was more that he wasn’t practised or overly comfortable and he was self-conscious. He didn’t want to make a bad impression. While Percival’s motions flowed he felt wooden and angular in comparison. Newt felt his cheeks heat up as he mechanically went through the motions. Logically he knew nobody was watching them, not beyond the curious glances of who the Head of the Department Magical Law Enforcement could be dancing so fondly with. Because Percival was looking at Newt with soft eyes, the hint of a smile tipped his lips into a curve, hand warm on Newt’s waist. He tipped their foreheads together and helped narrow Newt’s world to just him. He closed his eyes and hummed along to the tune softly which left Newt captivated.

“So, I’ve wanted to ask you,” Percival began as his eyes opened, “I’ve got two weeks of vacation booked off. Did you want some company on your next travels to Fiji?”

“You’d come with me to observe the mating habits of fire crabs?” Newt smiled and forgot about dancing in his excitement. His knee bashed into Percival’s before he stood on the other man’s toes. “Sorry.” He muttered forlornly at the wince.

“Nothing to worry about. I’d like to come to Fiji with you, if you’ll have me.”

“Everyone in the case will be delighted that you’re coming along. They do so miss you terribly when you’re gone. Rather, I’m gone from beside you.” Newt laughed.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll leave together in a few days.”

The trip to Fiji was rather mundane all things considered. Newt smuggled Percival onto the boat in his case which Percival grumbled about to no end. But otherwise Percival would have needed to book his own room, none of the good cabins were available at such short notice and he wouldn’t have spent much time in his own room anyway. Newt’s logic had won him over. Thus Percival Graves, law enforcer extraordinaire became a stowaway on a ship headed for lands far over the ocean.

Off the boat and at their camping site Newt busied himself with setting things up. The beach was a minute walk from their tent, far enough away that the tide wouldn’t reach them. Further into the island was a village that was preparing for some kind of celebration. The locals were friendly enough but didn’t pay much attention to two foreigners who camped near the beach. Newt sighed contentedly as he laid next to the glowing embers of the small fire pit and gaze up at the sky. Absentmindedly he patted the ground next to him and Percival obediently sat.

“We need to be up around 2am, that’s when the fire crabs will be most active. So have a quick snooze if you want.” Newt suggested. Percival lay down with his head pillowed on Newt’s stomach and stared up at the sky. Sleep didn’t come easy to either of them.

“The stars always look so different. Look, there’s Crux, the Southern Cross. And that there is called Carina – allegedly has more than 300 stars in it.” Newt pointed at the sky and Percival tried his best to keep up. But truthfully stars had never been his strong suit so sometimes he just hummed and nodded along to Newt, content to listen to him tell the stories behind constellations he himself couldn’t quite make out. After a while he shut his eyes, intent on just listening to Newt’s voice wash over them. Percival’s eyes were slow to open when he was jostled, a blanket draped around him and Newt muttering apologies as he extracted himself from under him.

Still half asleep Percival gathered the blanket and trundled after Newt despite protests. But if Newt was going somewhere then Percival was going to follow him no matter what. They stopped at the beach and stared. The fire crabs were in full light even under the water, their jewel encrusted shells sparkled in a beautiful haze. Those out on the beach glimmered as they created flames to show off and entice a mate.

“Aren’t they glorious?” Newt gushed as he stared at the beach.

“Yes, quite.” Percival replied but his gaze was held captive by Newt and his evident delight. The crabs were pretty but to him nothing could ever surpass the beauty of Newt, excited as he was.

“Look.” Newt breathed and pointed as he glanced at Percival to make sure his attention was capture by the fire crabs too. Percival draped the blanket partially over Newt and pulled him close as they watched the creatures and their peculiar mating habits on the beach. Eventually Newt tipped his head onto Percival’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“Thank you.” He mumbled through a smile. Percival pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“For what?”

“Taking time off. Coming to see the fire crabs with me. Camping with me when I know you prefer hotels.” Newt sounded like he was reeling off a well-rehearsed list.

“You’re a fool if you think I’d have this any other way. You next to me, happy. That’s all I ever want. I’d even follow you to the arctic.” Percival paused. “But please don’t take that as an invitation. I’d rather not go there if at all possible.”

Newt let out a huff of a laugh and craned his neck up for a kiss. Fire crabs forgotten they kissed under the blanket until they were too tired to do much other than shuffle back to their camp and fall asleep curled up in a tangle.

They spent a few nights watching the fire crabs. Newt had a notebook where he made details observations about their habits and rituals. Sometimes Percival would join him under the blanket and they shared kisses, Newt sometimes distracted by a particular display as his eyes tracked a crab while his mouth was otherwise occupied. In those moments Percival would laugh and pull away with encouraging words to fuel Newt’s enthusiasm for his observations. Other nights though Percival would have his own blanket and notebook. In there he’d sketch Newt as he saw him. Sometimes it would be the wide-eyed wonder that he captured while at other times it was the thoughtful if sleepy expression as Newt tried to decipher what the fire crabs were doing. And if he had a page dedicated to doodling little hearts with their initials - that was his little secret that nobody else had to know about.

They were coming to the end of their stay, Newt’s notebooks were filled to the brim with extra sheets stuck in every few pages as he figured out how some behaviours were interlinked. Their little campsite was calm and quiet as they sat and were trying to figure out what to have for dinner. Newt noticed the approaching natives first. It was a group of three men and Percival was taken by surprise at how easily Newt fell into an easy conversation with them. After a few minutes the men left and Newt trotted back to their camp with a wide grin on his face.

“Dinner is sorted. We’ve been asked to celebrate with the village tonight. I accepted the invitation.”

Percival looked uncertain but eventually Newt’s infectious grin won him over. Local cuisine and a party may well be what they needed to complete their little adventure. Together they got ready, mostly distracted by soft kissed and roaming hands. It was exceptionally difficult to put a shirt on when his hands were doing buttons up at the same rate Newt was undoing them to press kisses to the skin he revealed. Amid small huffs of laughter and soft grumblings they were finally ready and presentable. Hand in hand they walked up to the village. There was a large fire burning and the locals were already gathered around in a huddle. Music was being played by a group while others were singing. It was quite a surreal experience, Percival had never seen anything like it before and he stuck close to Newt who seemed so at ease even in a group of strangers, like he’d done this hundreds of times before.

They were ushered to sit on a log near the fire and Percival watched wide eyed. Food was being passed around, everyone looked to happy it was hard to stay closed off for long. The music picked up and Newt was shifting around next to him as they watched a group begin to dance.

“I know this one!” Newt suddenly exclaimed and shot off the log without warning, his plate unceremoniously shoved at Percival. He joined in the dance with a carefree laugh. It was wild, limbs everywhere and nothing like the formal dancing they’d done in New York. Percival sat back to watch him contentedly as the love of his life danced without much co-ordination in the firelight. All of a sudden it felt like a shame that their little holiday was coming to an end, Percival had never felt more relaxed and he didn’t want it to stop. He found himself already planning and looking forward to their next few weeks to whatever place Newt felt the need to go.

**Author's Note:**

> Liked it? Want more? Come prod me on tumblr (@ladyoftheshrimp) or leave a comment!


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